Arrangement for lubricating the perforating pins of tape and card perforators

ABSTRACT

A self-lubricating perforator arrangement wherein a horizontal guide plate for the perforating needles comprises parallel upper and lower partial guide plates which define a capillary gap between them. A unit situated above the partial plates contains an oil reservoir which communicates with the capillary gap to enable a regulated lubrication of the needles as they pass through the partial plates during operation. Also contained in the unit is a channel directly above the needles and the plates to receive the chads.

Unite States ent Weber et al.

[451 June 13, 1972 [54] ARRANGEMENT FOR LUBRICATING THE PERFORATING PINS OF TAPE AND CARD PERFORATORS [72] Inventors: Rudolf Weber, Olbrunn; Emil Jahn, Pforzheim, both of Germany [73] Assignee: International Standard Electric Corporation, New York, NY.

[22] Filed: Oct. 26, 1970 211 App]. No.: 84,016

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Oct. 28, 1969 Germany ..P 19 54 239.3

[52] US. Cl ..83/169, 83/685, 234/131 [51] Int. Cl. ..B26f 1/14, 8261' 1/24 [58] Field of Search ..83/169, 660, 685, 684, 679;

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,478,629 11/1969 Ek ..83/169 3,273,438 9/1966 Brook ..83/685 Primary Examiner-James M. Meister Attorney-C. Cornell Remsen, Jr., Walter J. Baum, Paul W. Hemminger, Charles L. Johnson, Jr., Philip M. Bolton, Isidore Togut, Edward Goldberg and Menotti J. Lombardi, Jr.

[ 57] ABSTRACT A self-lubricating perforator arrangement wherein a horizontal guide plate for the perforating needles comprises parallel upper and lower partial guide plates which define a capillary gap between them. A unit situated above the partial plates contains an oil reservoir which communicates with the capillary gap to enable a regulated lubrication of the needles as they pass through the partial plates during operation. Also contained in the unit is a channel directly above the needles and the plates to receive the chads.

3 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PAIE'N'TEDJum I912 3,688,960

INVENTORS RUDOLF WEBER EM/L JAHN ATTORNEY The present invention relates to an arrangement for effecting the automatic lubrication of the perforating pins which, below the die, are guided in a special plate, in tape or card perforators, with the aid of a thinly liquid oil.

To the most expensive parts which are subject to wear in a tape or card perforator, there belong the actual perforating elements (perforating needles and die-plate). The service life of these parts, when using continuously the same data recording material and when operating at always the same perforating speed, depends on the materials employed, upon the design of the cutting edges, and upon the intensity of lubrication.

In one conventional case, the latter is effected by means of an oil-saturated strip of felt arranged below the die-plate and along the perforating needles. Lubrication achievable by this arrangement, however, does not represent a satisfactory solution, because in this case the sliding surfaces and the cutting points are not provided with a sufficient oil film having a noticable effect upon wear. In order to achieve, in spite of this, an increase in the service life of the perforating elements, attempts have already been made for extending the tool life by using materials particularly resistent to wear, or a favorable combination of materials and/or by using cutting edges of optimum design. This, as a rule, however, leads to unjustified high expenses. 7

By the arrangement according to the invention it is possible to achieve an intensified lubrication, so as to achieve a longer service life of the perforating elements, or to reduce the technical expenditure by maintaining the same tool life as before.

According to the invention this is accomplished in that the guide plate consists of an upper and a lower partial plate, with the surfaces facing one another, having been subjected to surface grinding, that the two partial plates are firmly clamped to one another, and that the upper one of these partial plates is provided with a borehole which is in a sealed communication with an oil tank or reservoir arranged thereabove.

The capillary effect appearing between the two partial plates of the guide plate, serves to convey the oil in the exact proper dosage to the guide holes of the perforating needles.

With reference to an example of embodiment, the invention will now be explained in detail with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 of the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a sectional representation of a perforating device designed in accordance with the present invention, on an enlarged scale,

FIG. 2 shows the detail A of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale, and

FIG. 3 shows the detail B of FIG. 1 on an enlarged scale.

The example shown in FIG. 1 shows a tape perforator which is designed in accordance with the invention. Above the dieplate 1 and firmly connected to the die plate by means of screws 2 there is provided a channel 3a which serve to collect the chads 6 as produced by the perforator. The usual inclination of the chad channel simultaneously serves as a separating wall with respect to the oil reservoir 3b which, together with the chad channel 3a, forms one unit 3. Inorder to facilitate an easy checking of the collected chads 6, and above all, of the oil stock 5, the unit 3 is made of a transparent material. The oil reservoir 3b which, for production-technical reasons, is open at the top, is covered by a plate 4 which, in turn, is provided with a filling hole 4a. The oil reservoir 3b is provided at its bottom side, with an oil outlet 30. At the corresponding point, the die-plate l is provided with a passage hole, through which the screw of the oil outlet 3c is permitted to project. For preventing an unwanted leakage of oil in the readily assembled condition, an oil retainer ring 7 is provided on the supporting surface between the unit 3 and the die-plate 1 Flat on the die-plate 1 there is arranged a guide plate 8 composed of an upper and a lower partial plate 8a and 8b respectively. These, as well as the die-plate l are provided in the conventional way with fitting holes 11 for guiding the perforating needles 10. Into the upper partial plate 8a there is worked a tape passage la for the perforated tape 12. Moreover, it comprises a bore hole 9 which, as regards the position, is in agreement with the passage hole in the die-plate 1, and into which there projects the screw of the oil outlet 3c. The latter is sealed in the upward direction by a further oil retainer ring 7. The partial surfaces 8a and 8b which are clamped together firmly by means of the screws 2, have been subjected to a surface grinding at least on the surfaces facing one another.

When filling the oil reservoir 3b with a thinly liquid oil 5, the latter is permitted to enter the borehole 9 as terminated by the lower partial guide plate 8b, through the outlet 3c. The ground surfaces of plates 8a and 8b as placed on top of each other, together form a capillary gap 13 through which the oil creeps up to the perforating needles 10. Since the perforating needle guides are designed as fitting holes 11, capillary effect is continued in the guide range of plate 8, so that there is safeguarded an alround lubrication which is well-dosed owing to the capillary effect, without causing the danger of an excessive lubrication and, consequently, of a soiling of the perforator unit. 1

As soon as the perforating needles 10 are moved upwards out of the normal position shown in FIG. 2, with the aid of not shown means, and in accordance with the showing of FIG. 3, in order to perforate the tape 12 as positioned thereabove, the oil-wetted portion of the perforating needles 10 will immerse into the die-plate 1. Since the perforating needles are each time oiled or lubricated prior to each perforating operation, and since one single passage through the tape 12 is insufficient for wiping off the oil flm adhering thereto, the cutting edges of the perforating elements will likewise always remain to be intensively lubricated.

This type of lubrication causes a minimum oil consumption only amounting to a few cubic centimeters for several thousand working hours. In this way it has become possible to combine the oil reservoir 3b with the chad channel 3a, and one single filling is sufficient 'for lubricating both the perforating needles 10 and the die-plate 1 during their entire service life, when made of conventional material.

What is claimed is:

1. An arrangement for effecting the automatic lubrication of the perforating needles arranged adjacent to the die-plate of tape or card perforators, comprising a guide plate consisting of an upper and a lower partial plate, with the surfaces thereof firmly facing one another and defining a capillary gap, the upper one of said partial plates being provided with an aperture which is in communication with an oil reservoir arranged thereabove.

2. The arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said guide plate and the die-plate form one unit, and wherein the dieplate is provided with an aperture cooperating with said bore hole.

3. The arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said oil reservoir forms one unit together with a channel member and is mounted on said die-plate, with said channel member serving the disposal of the chads, and wherein the communication between said oil reservoir and the bore hole of said upper partial plate of said guide plate is governed by lubrication flow control means including an outlet and an adjustable outlet plug. 

1. An arrangement for effecting the automatic lubrication of thE perforating needles arranged adjacent to the die-plate of tape or card perforators, comprising a guide plate consisting of an upper and a lower partial plate, with the surfaces thereof firmly facing one another and defining a capillary gap, the upper one of said partial plates being provided with an aperture which is in communication with an oil reservoir arranged thereabove.
 2. The arrangement according to claim 1 wherein said guide plate and the die-plate form one unit, and wherein the die-plate is provided with an aperture cooperating with said bore hole.
 3. The arrangement according to claim 2 wherein said oil reservoir forms one unit together with a channel member and is mounted on said die-plate, with said channel member serving the disposal of the chads, and wherein the communication between said oil reservoir and the bore hole of said upper partial plate of said guide plate is governed by lubrication flow control means including an outlet and an adjustable outlet plug. 